
Surely you have been surprised by cat lovers ever to caress your cat, and notice small pimples on his skin .You may not even have noticed, or on other occasions, his appearance is so obvious and alarming that he has taken you to the vet.
In this article of Animals and Pets Online, we will try to summarize in plain form the origin of feline miliary dermatitis , the symptoms it presents and the treatment to follow, apart from other advice, follow reading:
What exactly is feline miliary dermatitis?
Miliary dermatitis is a common sign in many pathologies .To be able to compare it, it is equivalent to saying that a person has "cough." The origin of the cough can be multiple and even It may have nothing to do with the respiratory system, the same goes for feline miliary dermatitis.
The terms " Miliary dermatitis " refer to the appearance on the cat's skin of a variable number of pustules and scabs .That is to say, it is a skin rash, frequent especially in the head, neck and back, but it is also quite frequent in the abdomen and we can observe it when depilating said zone.
Usually many appear and are small, which is why the word " miliar " is used.Although we have not noticed (because the cat can live outside) is almost always accompanied by pruritus (itching), which in fact is directly responsible for the manifestation of that rash.
The most common causes of and miliary dermatitis:
- Parasites (ear mites, notoedical scabies mites, lice...)
- Flea bite allergic dermatitis (DAPP)
- Atopic dermatitis (can be defined as a generalized allergy, from dust mite to pollen, through various materials)
- Food allergies (allergy to any component of feed)

External parasites as a cause
The most common thing is that our cat has a parasite that causes itching , and scratching causes the rash we know as miliary dermatitis.Here is a brief summary of the most common:
- Ear mites ( Otodectes cynotis ): This small albino mite, inhabits the ears of cats, causing great itching with its activity.It usually leads to the appearance of miliary dermatitis in the neck and around the auricular pavilion, even in the neck area.
- Notoedrica scabies mite ( Notoedres cati ): An elacaro cousin of the dog's sarcoptic mange, but in a feline version.They are usually called "head mange elacaro", since in the initial stages, the lesions are usually see in ears, nape skin, nasal plane...The skin becomes thicker in a considerable way by continuous scratching.You can expand the information about this disease a little in the Animals and Pets Online article on scabies in cats.
- Lice : It is very common to see them in cat colonies.Their sting (they feed on blood), again causes itching that the cat tries to calm with scratching...And from there, the rash that we refer to as miliary dermatitis arises.
What treatment should follow the cat?
These external parasites respond to the application of selamectin topically (on undamaged skin), or systematically (for example, subcutaneous ivermectin).Today we are in the market enough pipettes that contain selamectin and also prepared to be applied directly to the ears based on ivermectin.
That if, as in almost all acaricidal treatments, it has to be repeated after 14 days, and may even be necessary a third dose.In the case of lice, fipronil applied from time to time several times, is usually quite effective.

Flea bite allergy as a cause
One of the most frequent allergies, which results in dermatitis miliar , is the flea bite allergy.These parasites inject an anticoagulant in order to suck the cat's blood, and they are allergic to a considerable number of felines.
Even after eliminating all the fleas, this allergen continues to be present in the cat's body for days, causing itching even if those responsible have been eliminated (in fact a single flea, it already serves to trigger the process if the cat is allergic , but to more fleas, the miliary dermatitis is more severe almost always.
The treatment of flea bite allergy as a cause of miliary dermatitis is quite simple: we must exterminate to fleas.There are effective pipettes that repel the insect before it can feed.

Atopic dermatitis as a cause
It is complex to define atopy.We will refer to it as the process in which the cat is allergic to various things and this generates the inevitable itching, which is associated with the appearance of those scabs and pustules that we call miliary dermatitis.
Treating it is almost more complex than diagnosing or defining it, being necessary to resort to corticosteroid therapy and other adjuvant treatments that lend a hand, even if they do not do much by themselves), as polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Food allergies as a cause
It is seen more and more frequently, but perhaps it is because we increasingly care more about our cats and attend to things that were not repaired before.
Many times there is no trace of fleas, no parasites, but our cat scratches continuously, causing miliary dermatitis, which, as in the previous cases, can become contaminated and lead to a more or less serious infection.
It is not a rule, but itching usually appears in the anterior part (head and neck) and over time, it is usually generalized.It is frustrating, as corticosteroid therapy is often tried but does not give the expected result.It may be scratched less a few days, but no clear improvement is observed.Until the previous diet that the cat has taken is completely eliminated, and it is tried to keep it 4-5 weeks with a I think hypoallergenic and water, exclusively.
In the second week we will notice that miliary dermatitis goes rem In doing so, the itching is milder, and by the fourth, it has practically disappeared.Re-introducing the previous diet to verify that in two days the cat scratches itself again, is the definitive way to diagnose it, but almost no veterinarian considers it necessary.>
Many other causes of miliary dermatitis in cats (pyoderma, that is, superficial skin infections, autoimmune diseases of difficult names, other external parasites outside those mentioned, etc.) remain in the inkwell but the intention of This article by Animals and Pets Online is to highlight that miliary dermatitis is simply a common symptom to innumerable causes , and that until the cause is eliminated, the dermatitis will not disappear.

This article is purely informative, at Animals and Pets Online we have no power to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform nin gun type of diagnosis.We invite you to take your pet to the veterinarian in case you present any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Feline miliary dermatitis-Symptoms and treatment , we recommend that you enter our Other health problems section.
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